Chiefs release Kareem Hunt after NFL announces assault investigation

LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 19: Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt (27) on the sidelines during a NFL game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Rams on November 19, 2018 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Kareem Hunt situation has escalated quickly, with the Chiefs parting ways with the running back Friday evening.

The Kansas City Chiefs aren’t waiting for the NFL to do its own investigation of running back Kareem Hunt.

After video released by TMZ on Friday appeared to show Hunt assaulting and kicking a woman in the Metropolitan Hotel in Cleveland earlier in February, the league took the first step. As expected, the NFL announced that Hunt was headed to the Commissioner’s Exempt List, meaning he would not be able to practice or play with the Chiefs until an investigation into his actions was complete.

That point is now moot, as the team announced mere hours later that it was releasing Hunt.

According to the team’s statement, Kansas City was made aware of the alleged incident closer to the time it occurred, and spoke with Hunt then. It’s unclear whether the NFL itself only saw the hotel video after TMZ brought it to light; FanSided spoke with Tony Quintal, the Chief Operating Officer of the Metropolitan Hotel, on Friday, but Quintal declined comment on that topic.

It’s a stunning and sudden downfall for the 23-year-old Hunt, who was not charged with any crimes in February nor suspended by the league.